A group of five local families who homeschool their children has banded together with the goal of opening a non-denominational Christian school based on the classical educational model as early as next year.

Claire Monteen of Rushville approached the Industry Village Board earlier this month and asked for the board's prayers as the homeschooling group looks at how it might use the old Industry school building.

The homeschooling group has formed a board of six people and registered Trinity Classical Academy as a non-profit corporation with the state of Illinois.

The board is also seeking affiliation with the National Association of University-Model School and plans to seek any other necessary accreditation.

The group is in conversations with Chris Trotter, owner of the Industry school, and will decide within a few weeks how to use it.

Trinity Academy, according to Monteen, would bring families who wish to homeschool with the classical education model, which divides learning into three stages based on age: Grammar, in which elementary-age children are focused on absorbing facts; the dialectic stage, where middle school-age children learn how to practice the knowledge learned in the Grammar stage; and the Rhetoric Stage, where older children begin to apply their knowledge through writing, speech or conversation.

"It really came about through a common curriculum style that a couple of families were using," said Monteen, who has three children and is homeschooling her oldest daughter. "We thought, what would it look like if we had a school?"

Monteen's daughter, Gloria, attended kindergarten in a public school before Monteen and her husband made the decision to homeschool.

"There were things about the public school that I very much loved," Monteen said. "I loved her teacher, I loved her friends. I did not love the curriculum. She wasn't very challenged in school and she was not actively engaged. We wanted her to be constantly learning."

Monteen also wanted her daughter to have a "Christ-centered education."

Trinity Academy, she said, would provide structured support for homeschooling families.

"It was wonderful, very challenging and very difficult," she said of her first year homeschooling her daughter. "I liked the schedule, but I am not a naturally gifted elementary teacher. While I was a good teacher, I was not a great teacher. So I wanted her to have the ability to have great teachers."

At Trinity Academy, as with other University-Model schools, students will attend classes a few days per week and on other days would be schooled at home. Parents will also take on teaching duties at the school and work alongside professional educators.

One of the professional educators who plans to teach at Trinity Academy is Father Jason Miller, the rector of Macomb's St. George's Church. Miller will teach Latin, a language commonly taught in the classical education model.

Page 2 of 2 - Miller and wife Rebecca, who is a Trinity Academy board member, homeschool their three oldest children Elijah, Jonah and Lily.

For the Millers, the decision to homeschool came from a desire to have a schedule that would allow them to spend time together as family.

"I was homeschooled, and we definitely appreciate the time that we have together,” Jason said. "That's something that we've always enjoyed. If we want to do something together, we can turn it into a learning experience. We're not bound to anything that keeps us from that flexibility."

A homeschooling schedule also worked for the Millers when their youngest son Samuel, who is now age 3, was born 24 weeks prematurely and hospitalized.

"We were still able to go back and forth as a family, rather than just, 'You stay here and go to school,'" Jason said, "You can see the benefits of that today, with how the kids care for their brother. All the kids are totally in, and that's a great thing to see as a parent."

The Miller's oldest son, Elijah, attended a classical education school in Tulsa, Okla., and Jason was impressed by what he saw.

"My kindergartner was learning Latin and cursive," he said.

Jason previously taught Latin at the eighth grade and university level, but he said it's homeschooling that has prepared him for teaching at Trinity Academy.

"My understanding is that there has been a lot of interest," he said of Trinity Academy. "I do think a lot of people are interested. It's a Christian school as well, and your only option outside of public schools is St. Paul."

Monteen said the Trinity Academy board plans to charge tuition, but the amount is still uncertain. The school will at first serve kindergarten through eighth-grade level students, though Monteen said it could eventually serve high school-age students.

"We would very much like to make it a reasonable amount for families," she said. "We're very grateful for the positive support we've received."

Reach Lainie Steelman via email at lsteelman@McDonoughVoice.com, or follow her on Twitter @LainieSteelman.